Method of and apparatus for marking metal articles



oct. 14 .1924. 1,511,543

H. R. WADE ET AL.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MARKING METAL ARTICLES Filed Dec. l1, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 oct. g

1,511,543 H. R. WADE ET AL METHOD OF VAND APPARATUS FOR MARKING METAL ARTICLES s sheet-sheet 2 4Filed Dec.

maar- /NvE/VTQRS fm da@ w/r'wssaes www M www Oct. 14 1924.

File'd Dec. 11. 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 vvewra/Q Jn, 7M au! FIBJII..

Patented Oct. lli. liflgll.

UNITE-n STATE/s PATENT HAnoL'p R. Wann nNn HARLEY M. FRINK, on Pesn'nne, rnNNsYLvANtA, -A'ssIGNoRs ,'To 'JAMES H. MATTHEWS 'a COMPANY,

A CORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD or AND nrrnnnrus non MARKING METAL nn'ronns.

Application inea nem'rer ii, 192e. 'serial ne. "eraser,

To' @ZZ willem t may ccf/tecla.-

Be it known 'that we, HAROLD R. lil/'Ann and HARLEY M. Fiumi, residing at Pittsburgh, vin the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, both citizens of the United States, have invented o'r discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of fand Apparatus rfor Marking Metal Articles, of which improvements the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to the marking of metallic articles and is found both in method vand in the apparatus by which the method is performed. lt is particularly applicable to articles which are superticially plated, 'and has by us been specifi-cally applied to the marking of 'tin cans when filled with ya marketable commodity and closed. ln that particular application we shall show and deseri'be it.

Many articles are :prepared for the market by canning. Our invention even in this special field is not in any way limited but is applicable generally to the marking of 'the can which contains canned goods, whether those goods be liquid or dry, whether they be food substances or other articles of merchandise,`paint, for example, or photographic Ifilms,-whether the can be hermetically tight, as is `ordinarily the case with fcod products, or merely adequately closed, as is the case with vlniking powder, for example.

lst is often desirable to place upon a can, after it has been filled and closed, some niark, words, or legible sign, to afford particular advice about the contents,-for example, the date of packing. And it is common practice to print such marks upon the surface of a can, using a rubber stamp and ink. Marking so applied is not wholly and under all circumstances satisfactory. lt is liable to mutilation, and in consequence of handling or in consequence of other conditions to which the can may be eXposed,- inoisture, for example, or heat-the marks may be destroyed or may become so far obscured as to be illegible and valueless.

In other branches of the arts it is common to place intelligible marksupon the surfaces of' articles by sinking the marks into the surface under a powerfully driven die. l3nt this method of marking is not ordinarily applicable to the marking of cans because ordinarily the filled can is not sufficiently rigid to withstand 'the blow and to receive without mis-shaping or injury a "clearl'yjdefined impression of the die, an impression such as to be legible.

Our invention achieves without any vdistortion or injury to theI can a marking which is at once clearly legible and is under all ordinary conditions i'neradi'cable. It consists in y'effecting localized fusion of the 'metal surface along lines and lover `areas which 'constitute the intended intelligible marks. -In consequence of fusion vthe resoli'dilied metal is changed in appearance from 'the unfused metal of adjacent parts of the surface of th'e article. Perhaps there is slight displacement of the fused metal. But the consequence and effect are that the arti-cle is branded and bears inera'dicably the intended mark. y f

Vile preferably achieve tlie result indicated by providing a die formed of a Inaterial whose fusion point is 'relatively higli and which is capable of being fshafped "and pressed to form a tool with th'e desired mark or letter formed on it by si'uface-shaping, preferably in sharp-edged relief. Tl'ife die will be made of metal, ordinarily "of s'teel. This steel di`e-for the effect isy similar to 'that of a dieis heated and it is brought,

along the edges of the character formed in relief upon it, into contact with the surface of the article to be marked. rlhe temperature is sufficient to effect fusion of the metal under the die along the lines and over the surfaces of contact. The article is 'not otherwise heated, and lits surface will otherwise remain unchanged. l/Vhen the die has been applied and has had` the eff-ect i1`i=di`cated-,'and has been removed again, the fused metal within the small areas vheated will solidify again, and the desired n'iarkiifg will remain, legible because of the ychanged condition, "or perhaps because of the displacement, of the metal affected, and the marking will be iineradicable. In dealing with such material as tin-plated steel, such displacement of the tin a's `'may occur will not expose the underlying steel. In the accompanying drawings a machine is illustrated Ain which and rin the operation of which our' invention is embodied and achieved. -F I isla 'View of Cil .formed of tool say, the marks or characters are vrelief with sharp chisel-like edges.

ning establishment and 1s here shown in coordination with an endless-belt conveyor, ot

a sort commonly' in use for conveying cans one by one as they come filled and sealed from one station ot preparation or oi treatment to another'or to a place of delivery.

Such an endless-belt `conveyor is found in the sprocket chain A equipped with a block B (ordinarily there are many ot these standing at intervals along the length oi the chain) adapted to engage and push a can C along arunwayl).

At a suitable point along the runway and immediately adjacent the runway is set a ."ertically standing and immovable post 1, and adjacent the post a vertically standing shaft 2 is mounted tor rotation. Means of rotating the post synchronously with the travel ot cans along the runway are 'found in a Sprocket wheel 3 which, engaged by .and rotated by the sprocket chain A, drives,

through the bevel-gears shown, the sha'tt 2.

inthe post 1 is formed a vertical slideway, in which a head 4 is movable, and a screw 5 is provided and a hand-wheel 6,

bywhich the position oi the head 4 in the -slideway may be adjusted with accuracy.

TheA adjustable head 4 encircles also shat't 2 and slides upon it.

lBorne in head 4 is a horizontallyl tending rotatable vshaft 7, and means are .provided by which shaft 2 under rotation imparts rotation to sha'lft 7. Such means arefound in abevel gear 8 which borne rotatably in head 4 is splined to shaft 2 and moves integrally with head 4 as head 4 slides along vshaft 2, and in a companion bevel gear 9 borne by shatt 7.

Shaft 7 carries a freely swinging, radially extending ork 10, and between the prongs oit the fork is rotatably carried a shait 11. Shaft 11 carries integrally an essentially cylindrical die-holder 12, and in ythe tace of the dierholder is a scatti?, in which an assembly oidies may be removably introduced and secured. The dies are steel and are substantially such as are used to impress into or raise upon the surface of a plate of metal identifying marks and characters; that is to formed in A carrier 14 may be provided, adapted to be seated in holder 12, and in which an assembly! ot individual dies may be made, to aitord a legend vwhichshall give the particular advice desired. In the assembly the dies stand in relier` from a cylindricalsurtace.

The holder is provided internally with electrical heating apparatus, as is indicated by the bindingposts l'and the lead wires yshaft 1l a rod `21.

y size.

and the current supplied is of such power as to heat the dies when in place in holder 12 to a degree exceeding the fusion point oii the metal immediately tcl-be engaged.

The shaft carries an interrupted spurwheel 17 and shaft 11 carries an interrupted pinion 18. These two members are mounted to make interengagement 'throughout the extent of their toothed peripheries, as will be perceived on comparing JFigs. l and Il.

Fork 10 is mounted, as has been said, tor tree rotation upon shaft 7. Fromthe hub ot rotation with which this torlr is provided, extend radially and angularly spaced one from another, two lingers 19 and 20. From slide 4 extends in a direction parallel to A contractible spring 22 is provided anchored at opposite ends to finger 2O and to rod V21. Inspection of Fig. ll will make plain the condition, that spring 22 tends always to turn the fork clockwise, holding the fork yieldingly in the position shown, with nger 19 bearing upon rod 21. Rod 21 then is a stop, limiting the range of turning of fork 10 in clockwise direction, yielding means holding the tork'to position with linger 19 abutting upon rod 21, but allowing recession through a sufficient interval and under a superior force in anti-clockwise turning.

The holder 12 is in its bearing in fork 'l0 provided with a spring return and av the toothed portion of pinion 18: there is the same number oiE teeth. Additionally spur-wheel 1l' on the untoothed part of its periphery presents a blank suriiace 26 cor trial with the tips of its teeth and a blank surface 27, co-radial with the bases ot its teeth, rlhe numeral 26 indicates a block removably applied to the periphery of. wheel 17. placeable, to the end that blocks of ditl'erent length may be applied, adapting the machine to operation upon cans ot different For` it will be understood that the while spring-`22 is aV essentially cylindrical, as

rlfhis block is made removable and re-v lll) greater kthe extent of the bl'cck`26 peripherally upon wheel 17,

the longer will be the interval during which holder 12 remains at rest with one oiu its flat faces 23 downward and the further the travel 'of chain :t i 'f thecan borne thereby, before holder 12Hrotates under spring tension bach to initial position. i

Injasse'nibly the parts are correlated as Fig. Il indicates: llo'ld'er 12 stands normallyv its faces 23 extending horizontally above and below. It is as has been said yieldingly held against anti-clockwise turna springyvvhich presses it clockwise against "a'n abutment. In this position of t j older 12 the pinion 18 which is mounted grally with it upon shaft 11 stands with the forward end of its toothed segment adjacent "spur-wheel17 in position to be engaged as `vvheel 17 turns, by the teeth with which wheel 17 is equipped. 1n normal `operation driven from chain A turns clockwise and turns constantly. is it turns spurwhee'l 17 intermittently meshes with pinion 1S, and intermittently rotates it through a half rotation ('an'tic lo`clrwise). As the teeth of :spnrfwheel 17 pass from engagement with the teeth of pinion 18, the elevated blank portion of wheel 17 then engages the rear- 'inost of the teeth upon pinion 18, and holds the pinion for an interval stationary, while spur-wheel 17 continues to turn. Then as this elevated portion passes, pinion 18 is free, and vit turns back again (clockwise) under spring tension `to its initial position. The chain A is provided at regular successive intervals with the can-driving blocks y' Coordination is lsuoli that spur-wheel 17 one rotation while chain A advances ltl'irough the interval between two successive blocks B, and rotation of die holderI 12 is so tinied :that the dies borne in carrier 111- and 'seated in seat 18 will engage the surface of can @advancing along ways D on a line vertically beneath the axis of shaft 11. lt will of course be understood that the spur- 'w'he'el 17 and the pinion 18 are so proportined that the dies when under rotation will travel at equal speed with the can driven.

'chain A.

Operation is as follows. The slide el is by hand-wheel 6 yadjusted vertically in standard 1, according yto the height of the cans to be marked. The cylindrical surface within which the dies turn must be with sul stantial and sunicient accuracy, tangent to the plane in which the can heads advance beneath, Such adjustment having been made, and careful adjustment having also been made between the particular position of pusher blocks and the circumferential position lof the teeth upon spur-wheel 17, cans ready for marking are supplied and carried one by one, by blocks B along ways D. The rim around the head of a can stands ordinarily somewhat higher than the lmedial surface within the rim. I As the can advances to and beyond the position illus- :trated fin Fig. Il, the teeth lupo-n spur-wheel 17 presently engage the teeth upon pinion 18 and in consequence die-holder 12 begins its anti-clockwise turning. '.lhe advance rim of the can passes beneath holder 12 while still the cut-away portion at affords clearance. Presently thereafter the dies borne by the holder come to tangency upon the surface of the head of the can and advance synchronously with the can through the region 'of substantial tangency. rlhe ydies at 'the time of contact are highly heated and they effect localized fusion of the surface metal at the very points of contact. lifter contact the softened metal freezes or solidiies, but carries ineradicably the trace of what has happened. The can is branded with the characters which the dies have so imposed upon it.

The holder 12 continues its power-driven anti-clockwise rotation until after the dies have passed completely beyond the line of tangency directly beneath the axis of shaft 11, and until thel cut away surface 23 which was initially uppermost becomes lowermost. in this position the holder continues (in consequence of the engagement of the raised blank area 26 upon spur-wheel 17 with the rearmost tooth of the series upon pinion 18) until the can has passed beyond the range of the turning holder 12. Then the holder, free of other restraint, revolves under the tension of its return spring to its initial position, where it is ready for repetition of the operation upon the next advancing can.

It will be perceived that while. the invention involves essentially the localized and Superficial fusion of the surface of metal, displacement of the fused metal by the die is not forbidden. Indeed it may be well so to adjust the apparatus (and practically is quite impossible to prevent this effect) that the edges of the dies shall a; tually sinl-z below the surface, where by high temperature they have eifected softening of the metal. The consequent displacement of the softened metal tends to heighten the effect.

`We have said the metal is in the practice of our invention fused locally, and such is essentially true. `But it will be borne in mind that fusion is a change of state which in the case of metals generally is approached by a gradual softening. .and when we say fusion we mean such a change of state effected by heat in the manner described as shall, either with or without physical displacement of the metal under the die, lea permanently upon the metal the trace the change which has been effected.

Returning to the operation it remains to remark that the fork 10 affords springbacled support for die-holder 12 and allows the die-holder to yield upwardly while the marking operation is in progress. Cans are not so exactly uniform in dimensions and ordinary machinery is not so perfect in its KL of ifi precision as to afford actual tangency of the die upon the can always, in every case, precisely the same. In practice, therefore, slide 4 is so positioned as 'to insure contact of die the smallest can 1n a cans, and the material acted upon in this 1 case is essentially a sheet of metal which under the conditions of operation is infusible, covered with askin of metal which under the conditions is fusible. Manifestly the invention is not limited in this particular, but may be applied to any object, whether homogeneous or compound in character, whose substance may be superficially softened when subjected to the operation described so as to leave the desired trace irnposed by heat, with or without concomitant pressure, upon it.

ln Fig. Il we have shown a second seat 24 formed in die-holder 12 and adapted to contain a second die-carrier 25. Ity will be understood that the dies of a carrier inserted at this point will be ineffective in the operation as described. But it will be realized that a carrier so borne by. the holder, and the dies which it carries too, will be heated. In these marking operations it often is advantageous to prepart two die assemblies for successive use and to have a second hot and substantially ready to take the place of the first and to serve immediately, without waiting for it to become gradually hot. When a second assembly so succeeds a first, a third may be slipped to seat 2li, that it in turn may become heated, ready when required to take the place of number two.

Our invention in method is, as we have said, found in the operation of the machine we now have described.

We claim as our invention:

l. The method herein described of imposing upon a surface of fusible material an intelligible mark which consists in maintaining the surface elsewhere in solid and unfused state and while so maintaining it, effecting localized fusion followed by re` solidiiication over a restricted area within such surface.

2. The method herein described of imposing upon a surface of fusible material an intelligible mark which consists in applying to the surface while maintained elsewhere in solid condition a die heated beyond the point of liquefaction of such material, whereby localized fusion is effected over the areas of die application, and then allowing the fused metal to solidify.

3. The method herein described of imposingupon a surface of fusible material an intelligible mark which consists in maintaining the surface elsewhere in solid and unfused state and while so maintaining it fusing and displacing thematerial locally, over restricted areas within such surface, beneath a heated die, and then allowingthe fused material to solidify again.

Al. The method herein described of niark-v ing a can of goods which consists in effecting over a restricted area within such a surface otherwise solid, a localized fusion, followed by resolidilication. A v

5. In a machine for marking articles and in combination with a conveyor adapted to carry the articles singly along a predetermined course a die carrier mounted for oscillation upon an axis in a cylindrical path, a die borne by said carrier and in the course of oscillation traveling tangent to the course of advance of the article on said conveyor, such die so borne being yieldingly held to such cylindrical path, andmeans engaging the die carrierand by suchengagement causing the die to advancev in its path at equal speed with the advance of an article on said conveyor, and throughout the range of contact between die and article.

6. In a machine for marking articles the combination with conveyor means adapted to advance articles one by one along a predetermined path, a heat giving rotatable cylindrical die holder provided with a plurality of seats for die carriers, and heating means borne by said die-holder in operative relation to both of said die seats.

7. In a machine for marking filled cans, the combination with means-for causing cans to advance singly and atregular intervals along a predetermined path, a cylindrical die-holder with a flat .side arranged adjacent such path of can advance and standing normally with its flat side toward such path, a die borne by said die-holder, rotating means engaging said die-holder and rotating said die-holder and the die borne thereby throughout the range 0f contact between the die borne by the holder anda can advancing along said path.

8. In a can marking machine and in combination with the driving element A' of a conveyor apparatus, the block -f adjustable with respect to the said driving element and carrying the rotatable shaft 7 with its spurwheel 17, means for rotating shaft 7 in response to advance of driving element A, the fork 10, shaft l1 with its pinion 18 and die-holder 12, borne by said block, and means for yieldingly maintaining fork l() in redetermined angular position upon shaft? 9. In a machine for marking filled cans, Y the combination with means for causing a can to advance along a predetermined path, a cylindrical die-holder with opposite flat sides arranged adjacent Such path, means n testimony whereof We have hereunto Yfoi causing the die-holder initially sta- Set our hands. tionury to rotate through a half rotation at t HAROLD R. WADE a surtace Speed equal to the speed of can Y advance, then to remain Stationary, and HARLEY M' FRINK finally to rotate in opposite direction to its `Witnessz initial stationary position. J. D. Bos'iio. 

